BSC in NYC!
by WildAngels
Summary: The BSC plus Krity's family spends two fabulous weeks in the Big Apple! Stacey meets her dad's new girlfriend, a well known columnist! Mary Anne gets the chance to meet her favorite movie star! Jessi learns something startling about Quint!
1. Intro

I arrived at Claudia Kishis's house at exactly 5:29. Even though I still had one minute to spare, Kristy Thomas gave me a stern look from under her visor. I took my usual seat on the deskchair, sitting backwards so my chin rested on the top rung.

"This meeting of the Baby-Sitters Club is now in session," Kristy announced in her authoritative voice as the clock changed from 5:29 to 5:30.

Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey stopped the hand clapping game they had been playing on the floor and turned their attention to Kristy.

"Any club business?" asked Kristy.

"I think we should discuss our trip to New York," I said.

"I can't wait!" exclaimed Mary Anne Spier. "I'm so excited! I've bought all the latest books on New York."

"You're going to have enough for your own private library," Jessi said and everyone laughed.

I better stop and introduce myself. My name is Stacey McGill. I'm thirteen years old and I'm the treasurer of a wonderful club called the Baby-Sitters Club (BSC). Actually, it's more of a business than a club. Parents can call us from 5:30-6:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and reach seven experienced sitters! How convenient is that? My friends and I were going to the Big Apple for two weeks because of me! NYC is my birthplace. I lived there until I was 12 when I moved to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. I actually moved back to the city when I was thirteen when Dad got transferred, but now I'm back in Stoneybrook because my parents got divorced. I live with my mom, but I visit my dad often. I love Stoneybrook because all my friends are here, but I'm a real city girl at heart. I get told I look like a real sophisticated city girl with my wavy blonde hair, large blue eyes, and slender figure. I once tried modeling, but quit when I started missing important events such as when the kids we sit for put on a production of "Snow White," with Charlotte Johansson, my favorite charge, as the title character. As Kristy had told me, "Anyone cane be a model, but not everyone can be a member of the BSC." Right on! Anyway, my friends have all visited New York before, twice actually! (And in the same year). Originally it was just going to be Claud and I who would be going. I was going to visit my dad for two weeks, like I usually do in the summer, and he told me I could invite anyone I wanted. Naturally, I invited Claud since she's my best friend. Well, it turned out that Kristy's family was also planning a trip to New York at that exact same time and Watson, Kristy's REALLY RICH stepfather (he's a millionaire!) told Kristy she could invite the other members of the BSC so nobody would be left out! We'd all be leaving for the Big Apple in two days!

"Want some pretzels, Stace?" Claudia was sitting on her bed between Mary Anne and Dawn Scahfer. She took a bag of mini pretzels and I caught them. "Thanks."

"Sure." Claudia took a large bite from a Mars Bars.

Claudia Kishi is Vice President since she has her own private phone line. She loves junk food and keeps it hidden all over her room, but she also keeps healthy food around for Dawn and me. (Dawn hates junk food, but I can't eat it because I have a disease called diabetes which means I can't eat sugar. (If I do, I might die!)) With her love of junk food, you might think she's fat and pimply, but you'd be wrong! Claudia is gorgeous with long, dark silky hair, a creamy complexion, and almond shaped eyes. She's Japanese-American, so she has an exotic look. Claudia isn't the best student, though. Spelling is her worst subject. Being a horrible student isn't fun when you live in a house with a real genius! Claud's older sister, Janine, is just that! She's only in high school and she's taking college courses. Claudia is a fantastic artist though. Someday, after she is long gone, I know her artwork will be hanging up at the Met! One of the main reasons Claud and I are best friends is because we're both sophisticated for our age. We both loves clothes, boys, and makeup, but not necessarily in that order! While I dress in a sophisticated, trendy way, Claudia is very creative with her outfits. She has an incredible sense of style. For example, today she was wearing a denim skirt over purple leggings and a black bodysuit. On her legs were yellow and black leg warmers. Her hair was styled in a side ponytail with different color ribbons and her earrings were really cool. One was a large outline of a star, and the other was just a gold stud. That's Claudia for you! Anyone else probably couldn't pull this outfit off, but Claud sure could!

"I hope Logan and Shannon will be able to handle all the baby-sitting jobs while we're gone," Kristy muttered. (Logan Bruno and Shannon Kilbourne are associate members of the club, which means they don't attend meetings, but help us out when we need sitters). "I don't want to send the message to any of our customers that we're unreliable."

Kristy Thomas is the President of the BSC because it was her idea! Kristy gets lots of great ideas. I bet she will be the first woman POTUS someday! (POTUS stands for President of the United States). She can be a bit bossy and brash sometimes, but we still love her. Kristy doesn't care about her looks, but I think she could be quite pretty if she put some more effort in her appearance. She has brown eyes and brown hair she usually pulls back in a ponytail. Her "uniform" consists of jeans and a t-shirt, or a sweatshirt, depending on the weather. She's one of the shortest people in our grade (8th), but don't let that fool you! Kristy is one tough chica! She loves sports - she even coaches a softball team for some of the kids we sit for - the youngest player is two years old! I already mentioned that Kristy's step dad is a millionaire and she lives in a mansion! When she was younger, her dad walked out on her family, but Kristy's mom ended up marrying Watson last year. Kristy has a huge family - it could rival the Tanners from "Full House!" Here's who lives in the mansion: Kristy, her mother, Watson, Kristy's older brothers, Sam (17) and Charlie (15), her younger brother, David Michael, (8) her adopted sister Emily Michelle (2 ½), her grandmother (aka Nannie), and on the weekends, Watson's children from his previous marriage, Karen (7) and Andrew (5) live with them. Everyone would be going on the trip except for Nannie and Emily Michelle. (Emily Michelle is too young, so Nannie would stay home with her).

Kristy's best friend is Mary Anne Spier, who's the secretary. While Kristy is a loudmoud, Mary Anne is shy and sensitive. She'll cry over the smallest things! Believe it or not, Mary Anne is the only one of us who has a steady boyfriend! His name is Logan Bruno. (Yes, one of our associate members). He's from Kentucky and looks exactly like Cam Geary, Mary Anne's favorite actor! Mary Anne used to be a little shy crybaby when her dad was strict with her. Her mom died when she was a baby, so her dad thought he had to be extra strict when he raised her, making her wear her hair in braids, not allowing her to fix up her room the way she wanted, basically making her dress like a second grader, that kind of stuff. But Mary Anne's dad stopped being such a prick when he was reunited with his high school sweetheart and married her. And guess what! Mary Anne happened to gain a stepsister who's not only her other best friend but another member of the BSC!

Dawn Schafer grew up in California. She's _such _a California girl! She's gorgeous with long, silky, almost white hair and blue eyes. She always has the best tans when she comes home from visiting her home state. She visits Cali a lot because her dad and younger brother, Jeff, live out there. See, when Dawn's parents divorced, her mom moved out here with Dawn and Jeff because she grew up here. Jeff was unhappy in Connecticut and decided to move back. Dawn misses him a lot, but she's glad he's happy. Dawn's a real individual. She doesn't care what anyone things about her. She's also into helping the environment and saving anything that needs to be saved. As I mentioned before, Dawn HATES junk food with a passion. She'll only eat healthy stuff. Dawn is the alternate officer, which means if somebody can't make a meeting, she'll fill in for that person's job.

And last but not least are Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey. They're junior officers because they're only eleven and in the sixth grade and can't sit during nights. They're best friends and can relate to each other because they're both the oldest of their families and feel their parents treat them like babies. But they're also very different. Mallory comes from a large family. She has seven younger brothers and sisters! Can you imagine? I'm glad I'm an only child! Mallory has red frizzy hair and glasses and wear braces. She wants to get her hair straightened and contacts (understandably), but her parents say no. Mal loves to write and draw and hopes to write and draw children's books one day. Jessi has a smaller family, only a younger sister and brother. She loves to dance, she's a wonderful ballerina! She's had the lead in a lot of productions! Oh, one more thing you should know is that Mallory is white and Jessi is black. That doesn't bother me because I'm from New York, so I'm used to being around a lot of black people, but here in Stoneybrook, the Ramseys are one of the few black families. But now everyone is cool with it.

"I can't believe we'll be staying at the Plaza!" Mary Anne said excitedly. "Did you know it was declared "the best hotel in the world" when it was completed in 1907?"

"Fascinating," Claudia said. She gave me a look that said she was glad we would be staying at my dad's apartment. I reciprocated it.

"New York better watch out because the BSC is coming!" Mallory said with giddy excitement.


	2. Kristy

****

BSC in NYC!

__

Dear Shannon,

I'm writing this letter on the train on the way to New York! Even though this will be my third time I've been to the Big Apple since I turned 13, I'm psyched! David Michael, Karen, and Andrew really want to see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, so we'll probably go there first. Hope the neighborhood is keeping you busy with baby-sitting!

Kristy

Finally, we were in New York! It had been pretty hectic that morning when we were getting ready to board the train. I have a large (or ginormous, as my sister, Karen, would say) family and to other people we can be pretty overwhelming when we're all together.

"I cannot wait to see the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History!" Karen exclaimed as she jumped up and down.

"That's going to be so cool," agreed David Michael.

Nannie and Emily Michelle had come to see us off. I took my youngest sister from Nannie's arms. "Hey, Em, want me to bring you home a present from New York?"

"Choo choo!" Emily Michelle grinned at me, spit running down her chin. I wiped it off with a Kleenex. (A good baby-sitter is always prepared). "If I find a little train, I'll bring it home for you," I promised her.

"Kristy, come on! The train is about to leave!" I heard Mom shout at me.

I handed Emily Michelle over to Nannie, who I kissed on the cheek before dashing after the rest of my family and the BSC.

I sat with my friends. "This special meeting of the Baby-Sitters Club will now come to order. I move that we suggest what our first order of business should be when we arrive in Manhattan."

Stacey rolled her eyes at me. "Are you kidding me, Kristy? We're having a BSC meeting in a _train?_"

I ignored her. "David Michael, Karen, and Andrew are all dying to go to the Natural History Museum. I told them I'd take them on our first day, so how does that sound?"

"Ooh! One of my favorite New York sites!" exclaimed Mary Anne. "Did you know that it's the largest history museum in the _world? _And that it covers three city blocks and holds over thirty six _million _artifacts?"

"Yes, Mary Anne, we know," I replied, hoping I didn't sound too testy.

Mary Anne didn't seem to notice my tone, though. She had her nose stuck in a brochure about the latest attractions at the museum.

We decided that when Mary Anne, Dawn, Mal, Jessi, and I were done unpacking, we would call Stacey and Claud, then meet at the museum.

When we reached Grand Central Station, Mr. McGill was waiting to pick up Stacey and Claudia. He greeted his daughter with a kiss on the forehead. Stacey and Claud waved good-bye to us and I shouted after them that'd we be calling them soon. The rest of us took a limo (yes, a limo!) to the Plaza.

"Ooh, I feel like a movie star!" Mary Anne squealed.

Mom and Watson had gotten three rooms. It was decided that the members of the BSC would room together (we would have an extra cot), Karen and Andrew would be in Mom and Watson's room, and my brothers would all share a room. My friends and I took the elevator up to the 15th floor which are room was on. (My brother's room was on the 23rd floor, and Mom and Watson and Karen and Andrew were on the 12th floor).

After we unpacked (Dawn got the cot), I called Stacey. Half an hour later the seven of us, plus David Michael, Karen, and Andrew had met up at the front steps of the Natural History Museum.

"I'm starving!" Claudia said eyeing a hot dog vendor. "Let's get some chow."

"Claudia!" exclaimed Jessi. "How could you be starving? You only had two packs of M&Ms, a Milky Way, nachos, and a whole bag of Doritos on the train ride over here!"

"Disgusting!" added Dawn.

Claudia just shrugged.

"Well, is anyone else hungry?" asked Stacey.

"I am! I am!" shouted Karen.

The rest of us nodded. We hadn't had as much on the train as Claudia had.

"Let's get some hotdogs!" Claudia exclaimed, running towards the vendor, which was a little hard for her to do since she was wearing clunky black clogs.

"Claudia, do you know what they put in those things?" Dawn wrinkled her nose.

"I don't care." Claudia was already paying for the hot dog and a drink.

The rest of us decided that also sounded good, so we also paid for a hot dog and a drink (a diet Coke for Stacey) and sat on stone benches in front of the museum. Dawn just stood in front of us, her hands on her hips, glaring at us. But we ignored her.

"You know, you really shouldn't let your child eat that!" Dawn shouted at a woman who was walking with her son who was happily eating cotton candy. The woman put her hands on her son's shoulder and hurried past us.

"Dawn!" hissed Stacey. "Don't be such a-"

She was cut off by Mallory who suddenly shrieked. "Oh no! I got mustard all over my shirt!"

Mal was wearing a white shirt and had squirted a packet of mustard all over it.

"Here," I said handing her some extra napkins.

She tried to wipe it, but it only smeared.

"I have some water, maybe that will help." Mary Anne unscrewed the cap to the bottle and poured some on Mal's shirt. The only problem was that it came out a little too fast and now Mallory's mustard stained t-shirt was drenched. "Oh no!" Mal moaned.

"I don't think you can go in the museum like that," Stacey said. "Why don't you buy one of those souvenir t-shirts?" She pointed to a vendor that was selling I 3 NY t- shirts.

When Mal came back, we crowded around her, so nobody could see her changing. In a flash, she had her old shirt off and the new one on. "God, how embarrassing," she said as she took her seat on the bench.

"Mal watch out!" Jessi shouted, but it was too late. Mal had already sat on her hot dog. Lucky for her though, there were no condiments on it, it was squished.

My siblings giggled uncontrollably.

"This is so stale," Mal said glumly.

"Well, don't worry, you don't have anything on your butt," I offered helpfully.

"Why don't we just go in now," suggested Stacey. "I don't want any more accidents happening out here!"

A long line had formed, so we had to wait awhile to pay for our tickets.

"Kristy, may we please see the dinosaur bones first?" Karen asked.

"Sure," I replied. "Should we all start there or should we split up?"

"Count me out," Dawn said in a disgusted tone. "It's so inhumane that they set up those bones for display!"

"Uh, I guess that means we're going to split up."

"I'll come with you, Kristy," Mary Anne volunteered.

We decided that we would all meet at the gift shop in three hours. After we paid for our tickets, Mary Anne, David Michael, Karen, Andrew, and I headed for the elevator.

"Wow, this is so cool!" David Michael breathed as we entered a large room filled with all kinds of extinct animals. Not only did we see dinosaurs, large and small, but also extinct birds, a mammoth, and a saber tooth tiger.

"Kristy, I have to use the bathroom," Andrew whined to me fifteen minutes later.

"Yeah, I have to go to," David Michael decided.

"Me too," replied Karen.

I sighed. "I asked you guys if you had to go before we left the hotel and you said you didn't."

"Well, yeah, that's because we didn't have to go then," David Michael told me in his "Duh" tone.

I remembered seeing a restroom facility right outside the large room we were in, so I led them to it.

"You two come right out here and wait at the water fountain when you're done," I told my brothers who nodded.

Mary Anne and I ushered Karen into the women's bathroom. I waited patiently for Karen as she washed her hands diligently, separately scrubbing each finger as though she were a doctor about to perform surgery.

"Are you ready, Karen?" I asked after she had soaped up and rinsed off her hands.

"Yep."

Mary Anne was waiting with David Michael and Andrew by the water fountain.

We continued looking at the other exhibits, such as dioramas of animals in their natural habitats, minerals and gems, and a huge replica of the blue whale that stretched from one end of the ceiling to the other in the Ocean Life room. We still had half an hour before we had to meet the others, so we headed to the gift shop. My siblings had received twenty dollars from Mom and Watson to spend at the gift shop and they would need some time to decide what they wanted to buy.

"Kristy, I want to get this!" David Michael showed me a thick book full of glossy photos about dinosaurs. It's what Mom and Watson would call a "coffee table" book. I turned it over and exclaimed, "David Michael! This is fifty dollars! You don't have that kind of money!"

"I saw some books on dinosaurs that might be more affordable for you," Mary Anne told him. She led him over to a kid's section of books.

I followed Karen and Andrew as they tried to decide what to buy. Andrew settled on a lot of small things: three pencils, each a different color with a different dinosaur on each of them, three erasers in the shape of dinosaurs, two postcards, a dinosaur coloring book, dinosaur stickers, and those pellets you stick in water and they turn into tiny foam dinosaurs.

David Michael had decided on two small books on dinosaurs, but Karen was still browsing.

"Kristy, do you think I would look beautiful in this necklace?" she held up a gaudy looking gold and silver necklace decorated with glittered beads. I saw the price tag read 15.99.

"You would look absolutely stunning," I replied.

Once Karen, Andrew, and David Michael had paid for their purchases, I saw the rest of my friends enter the gift shop.

Karen proudly showed off her new necklace. Claudia liked it so much that she bought one for herself.

"Hey, do you guys want to go to Times Square tonight and hang out?" Stacey suggested.

"Times Square?" Dawn looked uncertain. "Isn't that where a lot of mugging takes place in Manhattan?"

Everyone ignored her. "Sounds great," I replied. "Why don't we meet there, say, around seven?"

"Seven! But it will be dark then!" Dawn was looking even more uncertain.

"I feel so grown up!" squealed Mallory.

Stacey, who was standing behind Mal, rolled her eyes.

Our first day in New York was almost over, but we still have thirteen wonderful days left!


	3. Claudia

****

BSC in NYC!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, but you already knew that!

I couldn't remember what Stacey's dad's nickname was for her, so if it's not Bootsie, then I apologize for the mistake, but I remember it was something like that.

Deare Mom, Dad, and Janine,

I am haveing the best time in NY! Alredy we have bean to the Nashural Hestory Moozeum and Times Sqare! There are lots of grate shops in Times Square! There was one that suld lots of chaclite!

Love,

Claudia

When Stacey and I had returned to her father's apartment after visiting the Natural History Museum (I had bought the chilliest necklace at the gift shop), Mr. McGill was watching the evening news in the living room. We hadn't seen him much that day since he had immediately left for the office after dropping us off at his apartment.

"Oh, good, you're back," he said as Stacey and I walked in. He turned off the TV. "There's something I want to talk to you about something, honey."

Stacey gave me a sideways glance. "Is everything okay?" She sat on the coach and I sat next to her.

"Oh, yes, everything is fine," her father reassured her. "I just wanted to tell you I'm dating someone."

There was a pause before Stacey tentatively said, "You are?"

"Yes, and I would love for you to meet her. I've told her all about you and she's dying to meet you. I figured we could have lunch together tomorrow. I think you would really like her, Bootsie. Her name is Carrie Bradshaw and -"

"Oh my Lord!" I exclaimed as Stacey squealed with excitement. "Did you say Carrie Bradshaw?"

"Yes, you girls have heard of her?"

"Duh, Dad! Of course we've heard of her! Carrie Bradshaw is like, a legend!" Stacey squealed again. "Oh my God! I can't believe you're dating her! That is so cool! Or maybe not. I don't know if I want to hear about my own father in the columns she writes."

Mr. McGill choked on the coffee he had just sipped. "You read her columns?"

"Oh, they're fabulous," I interjected. "Much more interesting than the boring books we have to read for school."

"Don't you girls think you're a little to young to be reading the, uh, material she writes about?"

"Dad! We're thirteen and very mature for our age!" Stacey exclaimed.

"Much more mature than our other friends," I agreed.

"So you'll have lunch with us then? I was thinking of making reservations at Tavern on the Green."

"Of course I'll come!" Stacey said excitedly. "I just hope I have something to wear that's appropriate for meeting one of New York's most fashionable women."

"Don't worry, Stace, I'll help you," I said. "Together we'll pick out an outfit for you that's super chilly."

"Um, sure, Claud." Stacey glanced at her pink Fossil watch. "It's almost time to meet the others at Times Square."

"I better change then!" I exclaimed. "I have the perfect outfit to wear on a night out on the town!"

"Yeah, I need to change too," Stacey agreed.

I have to say both Stacey and I looked very sophisticated. She was wearing a black leather mini skirt with a rhinestone belt and a white tank top with the words ROCK STAR written across it in glitter. The only jewelry she wore was a bunch of silver bangles on her right arm. She told me that the thing in style right now is to wear only one kind of jewelry, but I don't think I could do that because I love wearing lots of jewelry! I was wearing a tank top covered with pink feathers and red and black snakeskin pants. I had swept my hair up with a barrette in the shape of a snake. Around my neck I wore a necklace in the shape of a snake. One of my earrings was a pink feather and the other was a tiny silver snake. I looked at myself in the mirror, very satisfied. I looked very chilly indeed.

"Hey, where's Dawn?" Stacey asked when we had met up with the others in front of Planet Hollywood.

Kristy rolled her eyes. "She offered to stay back at the hotel to watch David Michael, Karen, and Andrew. She didn't need to do that, of course, since Mom and Watson are in for the night, but that was her excuse. She just didn't want to come to Times Square at night."

Stacey just shrugged. "Her loss."

"Let's go in here first! I want to get a shirt!" Mary Anne said.

"Mary Anne, I thought you already had a shirt from Planet Hollywood," said Jessi.

"No, I have one from the Hard Rock Café, but not Planet Hollywood," Mary Anne corrected her. "Which reminds me, we must eat at the Hard Rock Café before we leave New York!"

Once Mary Anne had bought her shirt, we continued walking down the busy sidewalk. Since it was July, Times Square was packed with people, many of them tourists who didn't speak English. We went into the Swatch store where hundreds of watches, all different colors and styles were sold. I wish I could have bought all of them! I would have so much fun coordinating an outfit for each of them!

We next stopped in one of Stacey's favorite stores, Sephora, which sells make-up and other beauty products. Kristy looked bored as the rest of us oohed and aahed over the newest products.

"Smell this! It smells like a margarita!" Jessi told Mal as she picked up a plastic bottle filled with something green. "And it's shampoo and conditioner!"

"Ooh! I love it!" exclaimed Mallory. "This will be the closest I'll ever come to having a margarita. I wished I was old enough to wear make-up though." She looked wistfully at all the beauty products.

"I definitely want to come back here," I declared. "I could spend hours here!"

Stacey laughed. "And I believe it. Trust me, I have spent hours there!"

"Oh for crying out loud." Kristy rolled her eyes. "What's the big deal about make up anyway?"

Stacey and I shared a look. Kristy can be so immature at times.

We continued walking. I noticed a lot of tourists were taking photos of me and I secretly congratulated myself for making myself so noticeable that people thought I made a great attraction. Maybe they even thought I was a native New Yorker! I also noticed that there were a lot of people who were dressed as wildly as I was, but they had something that made them stand out: fushia colored hair, mohawks, tattoos, multiple piercing. I always thought I stood out, but apparently not as much as I thought I did!

"Ooh! A Hello Kitty store!" Mal squealed. "I love Hello Kitty! Let's go in there!"

Stacey mumbled something about Hello Kitty being for eight years old, but we went in the store anyway. Mary Anne immediately burst into tears.

"Mary Anne!" I took her arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you, Claudia." Mary Anne took out a Kleenex and dabbed her eyes. "It's just that being around all these Hello Kitty cats reminds me of Tigger and I miss him so much." She blew her nose.

I patted her arm. "There, there."

After Mallory bought a pair of Hello Kitty earrings, we continued walking, passing many famous sites such as the TRL building.

"That would be so fresh if we could be on TRL," I heard Mal say to Jessi behind me. "Especially if someone really chilly was the guest."

"Charlie and Sam are thinking about going down," Kristy said. "They heard Jennifer Lopez is going to be on to promote her new album or movie or something and they're dying to get a glimpse of her."

"I don't know what's so great about her," Stacey said, stiffening beside me. I could detect a note of jealousy in her voice. Stacey and Sam have a kind of past. They sometimes date, but lately they've been in a dry spell.

"You're much more prettier than Jennifer Lopez," I assured my best friend.

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Claud."

"Oh my Lord!" I exclaimed looking up. "I see a giant Hershey's bar!"

"Oh!" Stacey laughed. "That's the Hershey store where they sell-"

But I was already running towards it and was the first to reach the store that sold chocolate! Nothing but chocolate! I was in heaven!

"Whoa, it's a good thing Dawn's not here," Kristy said when the rest of my friends caught up with me. "She'd probably tell us we'd get cavities just by being here."

"We should buy her one of those huge candy bars," I laughed pointing to a four foot tall chocolate bar leaning against a wall.

Everyone except Stacey bought something. I bought a fancy bag of tiny assorted chocolates. I would probably have them all eaten by tomorrow though. As we left the shop and passed a girl in her twenties with not only an eyebrow ring and a nose ring, but also hair dyed purple on one side and bright red on the other side, I decided that I was going to do something dramatic to change my look.


	4. Mallory

BSC in NYC!

__

Dear Margo and Claire,

I hope you two are behaving for Mom and Dad and your older siblings! I am having a wonderful time in New York! We are staying at the Plaza Hotel where Eloise lives! Today I went to the American Girl Place on 5th Avenue with my friends. Tell your doll I bought her a beautiful dress!

Love your big sister,

Mallory

New York is so dibble! (Dibble means really cool. My friends and I make up words all the time). I felt so grown up traveling all alone. Well, I wasn't really alone since I was with my friends and the Brewers.

Jessi, Kristy, Mary Anne, Dawn, and I were staying at the Plaza Hotel with Kristy's family. I have stayed at some pretty fresh (that's another word we made up. Like dibble, it means really cool) places before in New York. The last time I way here, I stayed at the Dakota, a really fancy apartment building where you have to be really rich to live. (Laine Cummings, Stacey's best friend from New York lives there, but now she's Stacey's ex-best friend. Laine is really stale now. (Stale, by the way, means really bad or uncool)). I was super excited to be staying at the Plaza Hotel because it was the place where Eloise lived and had her many adventures! _Eloise _was one of my favorite books as a child. It's one of my favorite books to share with the kids I baby-sit for. I usually have a copy of it in my Kid-Kit. (Kid-Kits are just one of many Kristy's great ideas. We fill boxes of toys and games and books and take them on baby-sitting jobs. It keeps the kids entertained for hours!)

I wasn't the only one excited to be staying at the Plaza. As we ate breakfast the next morning, Mary Anne kept telling us random facts about the hotel, acting like a tour book.

"Did you know that eighteen-story cast-iron structure was made to resemble a French Renaissance chateau on a larger scale? And that the Plaza was designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh, also known for the Dakota and the original Waldorf-Astoria?"

"That's fascinating, Mary Anne," Jessi said politely as she poured maple syrup over her pancakes.

"Don't encourage her, Jessi!" Kristy hissed.

"What are you girls going to do today?" Mrs. Brewer asked us from the other end of the table.

"I was thinking we could go to Central Park," Kristy said at the same time I said, "I'd like to visit the American Girl Place. It's right on Fifth Avenue"

"The American Girl Place!" Karen exclaimed. "I want to go there! Oh, Daddy, can I go there?"

"I thought you wanted to go to the Central Park Zoo today, Karen," Watson said after taking a sip of his orange juice.

"I do! But I want to go to the American Girl Place much, much more!"

"I don't want to go to any doll place!" David Michael said looking disgusted.

"Yuck! Me neither!" Andrew agreed.

"I can take Karen with me," I told Mr. And Mrs. Brewer, feeling very grown up.

"And I'll come to," Jessi added. "I went to Central Park last time I was here, but didn't really spend a lot of time strolling along Fifth Avenue."

"Mary Anne, Dawn, do you want to come to Central Park with me?" Kristy asked.

"I will," Mary Anne said. "We should definitely visit Strawberry Fields and the Hans Christian Andersen statue. Oh, and we should probably invite Claud since Stacey's meeting her dad's new girlfriend. Maybe we can go to the Met. I'm sure she'd like that."

"Dawn, what about you?" Kristy asked. "Fifth Avenue or Central Park?"

"Maybe I should just stay here," Dawn replied.

"Da-awn!" Kristy exclaimed. "You can't spend your entire vacation cooped up in the Plaza.

"Okay, fine, I'll go with Jessi and Mal," she said. I was a little surprised since I figured Dawn would rather want to go to Central Park since she loves nature so much, but she continued talking. "I don't want to step a foot in Central Park! I was watching this TV program where these women kept getting strangled there."

"That's awful!" exclaimed Mary Anne. "I haven't heard anything about that, though. Where did you see that?"

"Well, it was an episode of _Law and Order _or one of those shows, but it could have happened!"

"Dawn, you need to chill out," Kristy advised her.

After breakfast, Jessi, Dawn, Karen, and I stepped out onto Fifth Avenue, ready for a day of shopping! Since I would be spending the afternoon on one of the world's most fashion conscious streets, I was wearing my most sophisticated outfit. I must say, I was looking pretty fresh. I had on my red jumper with my name embroidered across the front of it and my white tights with red hearts on them. I tried to tame my red unruly hair as best I could, but the heat was making it frizz all over the place. For the final touch, I had put on my earrings: small silver ones in the shape of horses. (Jessi and I both love horses!)

I wanted to visit the American Girl Place to get something for my younger sisters, Margo and Claire. They share the Samantha doll and I wanted to buy them an outfit for their doll or something.

It was a beautiful, summer day and lots of tourists were out strolling and window-shopping.

"Look at that," Dawn said with disgust as she stopped in front of the Louis Vuitton store window and pointed to a leather bag poised on a well-dressed mannequin. "They kill poor defenseless animals to make expensive bags out of them! How can they be so heartless?"

"Well, you have to pay a pretty penny to buy one of those bags," Jessi replied.

"Jessi! That shouldn't matter! The life of an animal should be priceless! I don't care if these bags cost a million dollars! This is outrageous!"

Each time we passed another store window displaying something made out of leather or fur, Dawn would keep on berating the people who sold the items and the people who bought them.

"Murderer!" she shouted at two elderly ladies as they went into a Fendi store.

Luckily they didn't hear her as a taxi had just honked at that moment.

"Dawn, would you be quiet!" Jessi hissed.

"I see the American Girl Place!" Karen suddenly shouted. "I see it!"

I was thankful and prayed we wouldn't have to pass anymore stores that Dawn would have a problem with on the way. Karen excitedly led the way and we entered a huge three story store.

"Oh, I wish I had bought one of my dolls with me to New York!" Karen pouted. "I could have their hair done at the salon!"

One of her dolls? "Which ones do you have?" I asked her.

"Oh, I have all of them!" Karen exclaimed brightly. "I have Kirsten, Samantha, Molly, Felecity, Addy, Kaya, Kit, Josefina, and Nellie. Oh! And I also have one of those dolls that look like myself. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me! I named her Katrina. Isn't that a beautiful name, Mallory."

I nodded, still stunned at how many dolls she had. And these weren't cheap dolls either. They were eighty dollars each. Of course, Karen's father _is _a millionare.

Each of the dolls are from different periods and they come with their own dresses and accessories. There were many young girls in the store, browsing with their mothers or older sisters as they carefully decided what to buy for their dolls. Karen loved watching dolls get their hair styled at the salon, as they sat in little chairs. On the second floor was a hospital where you could get a body replacement for your doll if something (like an arm or a head) fell off.

"These dolls are so precious!" Jessi exclaimed as she looked at all the dolls on display in a glass case. "Ooh, I bet Becca would love that one." She pointed to the only black doll.

"That's Addy," Karen informed her. "She's from 1864."

"I'm going to look for some dresses for my sister's doll," I said.

As Jessi, Karen, and Dawn continued browsing, I started looking for dresses I knew my sisters didn't have. I was debating between a pink kimono bathrobe with white slippers and a white teadress with pink trim when an employee came up to me.

"Hello, dear, are you finding everything okay?" she asked me. She was a friendly looking woman, in her sixties, her white hair tied up in a bun.

I nodded. "Yes, thank you. I'm just deciding which outfit to get."

"Oh, I see you have the Samantha doll," she said as she put on her wire-rim glasses which were attached to a thin chain around her neck. "She has such beautiful dresses."

"Well, actually, they're for-" I started to say, but was interrupted when the woman suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, your tights are so darling! My granddaughter would just love those! Tell me, where did you get them?"

"At a department store in Stoneybrook called Bellairs," I replied.

"Stoneybrook? Never heard of it."

"It's in Conneticut."

"That's where my little Colleen lives! She's going to turn five next month."

"That's great," I replied feeling a little offended that she thought her four year old granddaughter would like my tights. Suddenly I wasn't feeling very sophistacted in my outfit.

"Have you decided on which outfit for your dolly you would like to get?"

I held up the teadress.

"Fabulous choice! I can ring you up downstairs. Do you want to get your mom first?"

My mom? "I'm not here with my mom," I replied. "I came with my friends."

"Well!" the woman chuckled. "Aren't you all grown up?"

I frowned behind the woman as I followed her to pay for the doll outfit. Wasn't I already grown up? I may not be able to wear make-up or baby-sit at night, but I always thought I was one of the most sophisticated and grown-up people in my class. Had I been wrong all this time?


	5. Mary Anne

BSC in NYC!

Dear Dad and Sharon,

Hello from New York! I love it here so much, but I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that! Today I spent a beautiful day in Central Park with Kristy and Claudia. Guess what? They're making a movie here and you'll never guess who's starring in it…

Love,

Mary Anne

P.S. Pat Tigger for me! Meow! Meow!

I love New York so much. It's my favorite city in the world. I want to live here when I grow up. My room is decorated with posters of the city's skyline and I pride myself on having the largest collection of New York travel books in all of Stoneybrook.

After breakfast, Dawn, Jessi, Mallory, and Karen went out to explore Fifth Avenue and Kristy and I caught a cab along with Mr. and Mrs. Brewer who would be taking David Michael and Andrew to the zoo at the park.

Kristy and I were going to meet Claudia at the park by the Ramble. It was easy to spot her since she was wearing a rainbow colored blouse with purple suede pants, orange Jelly shoes, a yellow cloth headband, and a neon green plastic necklace. On anyone else, the outfit would have looked absolutely ridiculous, but Claudia made it look super dibble. She is a fashion genius!

We began walking. It was a beautiful day for a stroll in the park.

"Look at all these parents with their kids, "Kristy observed. "We could probably set up a baby-sitting service right here in the park."

"Oh no! Not another Idea!" Claudia groaned.

"I'm serious!" Kristy exclaimed. "We could set up somewhere, maybe near the Alice in Wonderland statue and charge parents ten dollars an hour to watch their kids while they do their own thing, like have a quiet lunch or something."

"Well, count me out," said Claudia. "I love kids and I love baby-sitting, but I'd rather not spend my vacation doing it."

"What about you, Mary Anne?" asked Kristy.

"I have to agree with Claud," I replied. "Besides, I doubt many people would leave their kids with strangers."

"But we're not strangers!" exclaimed Kristy. "We're the Baby-Sitters Club! We have a very successful and popular baby-sitting service. I'm sure half of Manhattan has already heard of us."

"Somehow I doubt that," Claudia replied. "Hey, I was thinking of getting a tattoo. What do you guys think of that?"

Kristy and I glanced at each other.

"Um, Claud, don't you have to be at least eighteen to get one?" asked Kristy.

"I could pass for eighteen!" exclaimed Claudia.

"Why do you want to get a tattoo?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. "Wouldn't that hurt?"

"Well, what about a piercing?"

"Are you thinking of putting _another _hole in your ear?" Kristy asked. (Claudia has three piercings, two in on one ear and just one in the other).

"No, I want to pierce something different. Perhaps another body part like my nose or my eyebrow."

"Ouch!" I exclaimed as Kristy said, "Why would you want to mutilate yourself like that?"

"It's not mutilating," Claudia replied huffily. "It's self-expression."

"Don't you already have enough self-expression?" Kristy asked making air quotes around the word self-expression.

"I want more."

"You want to stand out even more?" I said in shock. "Claud, I really don't think you need to do that."

"I want to change my look drastically!" Claudia said. "Everywhere I look, I see New Yorkers with shaved heads or lip rings or tattoos all over their arms and I think to myself, "Wow, I want to look like that!"

"I don't think you need to change yourself, Claud," I told her. "I like you just the way you are."

"Yeah, and you stand out in Stoneybrook already since you're one of the few Asian-Americans at SMS," Kristy pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I want something that makes me especially unique." Claud stopped. "Hey, look there's Tavern on the Green. I bet Stacey's in there having lunch with her dad and his new girlfriend. Can you believe that he's dating Carrie Bradshaw?"

Kristy and I looked at each other once again. "Who?" we asked simultaneously.

"She's only one of New York's most famous writers," Claudia replied.

"I didn't know you read books other than Nancy Drew, Claud," Kristy joked.

"Ha ha," Claudia snapped. "She doesn't write books, she writes a column for the paper called _Sex and the City." _

"Sex and the City?" I said in a whisper. "She writes about…._sex_?" Again, I whispered the word.

"Well, not just about sex, but about relationships and men. She's absolutely fantastic. And very fashionable."

"Well, no wonder I've never heard of her," Kristy replied. "Now maybe if she were a sports writer…"

We continued walking until we came across a huge crowd of people.

"I wonder what's going on there," I said.

"Let's go check it out," Kristy said.

As we came closer to the crowd, we soon saw that it was a movie set! Two security guards stood in front of a trailer.

"What's all this?" Kristy asked as we came closer to the crowd.

A girl, probably a few years older than us turned around and exclaimed, "They're making a movie here! And Cam Geary is the star!"

"Cam Geary!" I squealed. "He is my favorite movie star in the world!"

"Ohmygod! Mine too!" exclaimed the girl. "He is soooo dreamy!"

"Is he in that trailer right now?" I asked excitedly.

"I think so. We haven't seen him all day, though." The girl looked disappointed. She looked at me. "Say, you don't happen to post at the Cam Geary fan board do you?"

"You mean TeensInLoveWithCam?" I asked and she nodded. "Yes! Yes, I do!"

She gasped! "So do I! What's your screen name? I'm ForeverCamsGirl."

"Oh, yes, I know you!" I laughed. "I post under the name MrsCamGeary. My real name is Mary Anne, though."

"Oh yes, you have the most posts there!" laughed the girl. "It's such an honor to meet you. You really are the biggest Cam Geary fan in the world."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't say that," I replied modestly.

"My name is Jenna," she replied. She shook my hand. "It's so great to meet you!"

"Do you know how long Cam's going to be here to make the movie?" I asked.

Jenna shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think a few more days."

"Well we must make it our mission to meet Cam Geary!"


	6. Stacey

BSC in NYC!

__

Dear Mom,

How is Stoneybrook? I'm having a great time in NYC with my friends. We've been doing lots of site seeing and shopping. Dad is great too. Love you! See you soon.

Stacey

I didn't write much on the postcard to my mom because I didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her about Dad's new girlfriend and how DIBBLY FRESH she is.

When I woke up the next morning, I quietly rummaged through my closet, trying to look for a super trendy outfit without waking Claudia. It's not that I don't love my best friend, because I do, and I think she has a great sense of style, but somehow I didn't think Claudia could help me with picking out an outfit for meeting the ONE AND ONLY Carrie Bradshaw. I needed something that was trendy and sophisticated, not wild and artsy. I decided on a white pleated skirt that hit just above my knees with a black knit scoop-neck shirt and black leather knee-boots. I admired myself in the mirror as I applied my make-up and combed my perfect blonde hair. I looked very sophisticated. I could at least past for sixteen.

Claud was just waking up as I came back into the room to put on my earrings: plastic hoops, one was black and the other was white.

"Stacey!" she exclaimed. "You look fantastic. I'm sorry I wasn't up to help you get dressed, though."

"Oh, that's all right," I replied. "I sort of had this outfit already in my mind."

My Porky Pig phone that I keep in my room at Dad's apartment rang (or rather oinked) and I picked it up. It was Kristy wanting to talk to Claudia. I handed it to her and after she made plans to meet Kristy and Mary Anne at Central Park, Dad came by and knocked on the door.

"Honey, I made reservations at the Green for 11:30," he told me. "Be ready to leave in an hour."

"Okay, thanks, Dad," I said.

"I am so jealous," Claudia said. "I wish I could meet Carrie too." She gasped. "What if your dad married her and she became your step-mother? Do you know how dibbly fresh that would be?"

"Well, I don't think Dad's been dating her that long," I replied. "But it would be super chilly." I imagined myself going on shopping sprees with Carrie along Fifth Avenue, people stopping to take our pictures and asking for my autograph.

On the way to Central Park in the taxi, I asked Dad how long he had been dating Carrie.

"Not too long," he replied. "We met at a bar about two weeks ago and really hit it off. I have to say I didn't know who she was at first since I never read her columns, but she's a very fun, vibrant, energetic woman who's very passionate about her work."

We arrived at Tavern on the Green and I immediately spotted Carrie waiting for us in front of the restaurant. She was wearing a black and white checkered dress with a red bow around her waist and her curly blonde hair looked fantastic. She could have easily passed for my older sister!

"Carrie, hi!" Dad called out to her as we approached her.

"Oh! Hi!" Carrie smiled at us as she threw the cigarette she had been smoking on the ground and stomped it out with her super fresh red Manolo Blahnic heels.

"Carrie, this is my daughter, Stacey," Dad introduced us. "Honey, this is Carrie Bradshaw."

"Oh my God, it is such an honor to meet you!" I said as I shook her hand. "I am such a huge fan! I read your columns all the time!"

"Oh, well, thank you!" Carrie replied with a laugh. "You seem a little young to be reading my columns, though."

"I'm thirteen, but very mature for my age," I replied.

"Well, when I was your age, I was reading very mature material as well like _Seventeen _magazine. Believe me, that could be pretty risqué back in the day."

"Shall we see if our reservation is open?" Dad suggested.

We went inside and a well-dressed man led us to a table outside in the courtyard. After we ordered drinks and an appetizer, Carrie said to me, "Your father tells me you belong to a baby-sitting club?"

I nodded proudly. "Yep, the Baby-Sitters Club. I joined when I was twelve. There are seven of us, well, nine if you count the associate members. We meet three times a week and parents can call us to ask for baby-sitters for their children."

"That's a neat idea," said Carrie taking a sip of her iced tea. "I bet you make some good money doing that."

I nodded. "It's very rewarding."

The waiter came by to take our order and as we ate lunch, we chatted some more. Carrie asked me about my friends and school. When I was telling her about Mary Anne, she said, "She sounds just like a friend I have. Her name is Charlotte and-"

"Charlotte is the name of my favorite baby-sitting charge!" I said. "Wow, what a small world!"

When we were finished with our meals, the waiter came back with the dessert tray. "Can I interest you in any dessert this afternoon?" he asked us. "Perhaps some strawberries and cream?"

"Oh, that looks delicious," said Carrie. "But I better pass."

"No dessert for me," I said glumly.

"Sir?" the waiter asked my father.

"Just another coffee for me, thanks."

"Are you watching your weight too?" Carrie asked me when the waiter had left. "You have such a slim figure already, I'm sure you don't need to worry about the calories like I do."

"Oh, no," I replied. "I can't eat sugar because I have diabetes. It's a disease where-"

"Oh, yes, I know what it is," Carrie said. "You must be brave for putting up with that."

"My little Bootsie is very brave," Dad said ruffling my hair.

"Dad," I said, embarrassed.

Carrie laughed. "You two have a very sweet relationship. How often do you see each other?"

"Stace usually visits me for two weeks in the summer like she is now and comes up every other weekend if she can make it," Dad told her. Just then his beeper went off. "Oh, shoot. They need me at the office."

"Now?" I said.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, honey. Carrie, can you drop Stacey off at home?"

"Oh, sure no problem."

"Bootsie, here's my credit card in case you need it for an emergency."

After Dad kissed both Carrie and me on the cheek and left, Carrie looked at me and said, "I don't know about you, but after I eat a meal, I need to unwind at Bloomingdales."

"Bloomingdales is my favorite store in the world!" I replied.

After Carrie paid for the meal with the money Dad had left, we hailed a taxi to one of New York's finest department stores. I immediately headed over to shoes.

"Shoes! Oh, I love shoes!" cried Carrie.

"Look at these white leather lace up boots!" I gasped. "They are super dibble!"

"Dibble?" Carrie repeated with a confused look on her face.

"Oh!" I laughed. "It means really cool. My friends and I make up words all the time."

"Why don't you try them on?" she suggested. "I'm going to try these on," she added holding up a pair of black Jimmy Choo heels.

As we sat next to each other and tried on the shoes an employee had gotten for us from the backroom, Carrie asked me if I had a boyfriend.

"Not right now," I replied. "I was seeing this guy Sam, for awhile though. But he's fifteen and the brother of one of my friends in the Baby-Sitters Club."

"Ah, an older man," Carrie said nodding her head all knowingly.

"But our relationship wasn't really working out for those reasons," I replied. "Plus he can be super immature at times." I rolled my eyes. "He likes to prank call us during BSC meetings. Once he called us and asked if our refrigerator was running and that we better go catch it. That is such a stale joke."

"Well, trust me, I've been with many immature men in my life and believe me, you'll meet many more of them. But once they turn forty, they tend to loose some of that immaturity." She smiled at me. I must have looked horrified because she patted me on the knee and said, "Oh, I'm just joking. It's more like thirty."

"You're really cool," I said. "I mean, my mom is okay, she's better than some of the other moms in Stoneybrook, but she's always on my case for being careful because I have diabetes. She thinks I can't take care of myself, when obviously I can. I grew up in Manhattan! I'm very mature and sophisticated for my age! I'm the most sophisticated person in all of my school, I'm even more sophisticated than any of my teachers." I straightened my shoulders proudly.

"Excuse me," Carrie said to the salesman. "I'll take these shoes."

"And I'll take these," I added pointing to the leather boots.

"Are you sure you can afford those?" asked Carrie.

"I have Dad's Visa Card."

"But isn't that only for emergencies."

"But this is an emergency! A fashion emergency! I buy stuff with Dad's card all the time, he doesn't mind."

Carrie just shrugged. "All I know is that I'm happy I found a great pair of shoes that will go great for the opening of a new club on Friday."

I gasped. "A new club? Can I come with you?"

"Well…" she hesitated. "I think you're a little too young."

"Believe me, I can dress so I look like I'm 21. A lot of people actually think I'm in my twenties."

Carrie still looked unsure, so I continued to plead. "Please…Dad will think it's great that we're getting along so great!"

"Well, okay," Carrie agreed. "But if you get caught, it wasn't my idea!"

"Oh, thank you!" I cried.

Carrie Bradshaw was the coolest woman in the world!


	7. Jessi

BSC in NYC!

__

Dear Mama and Daddy,

New York is great! Today I met up with Quint and we saw a ballet at Lincoln Center. It was marvelous. Quint had some news for me though, but I better tell you when I come home. I don't want to write it here because the postman might be reading this.

Love,

Jessi

When I woke up Wednesday morning I changed into my nicest pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that said "Kiss me….I'm African American" in bold black letters on the front. I tied a pink ribbon around my hair. The reason I wanted to look nice was because I was planning on meeting my sort-of boyfriend Quint. I had met Quint the last time I was in New York with my friends. He was THE most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. Not only was he black (like me!), but he was also a ballet dancer (like me!). It was a perfect match! I mean, what are the chances of two black ballet dancers (who also happen to be the same age) getting together? Pretty slim to none, I tell you.

"How do I look?" I asked Mallory who was sitting on her bed in our room writing in her journal.

Mal just snorted something and continued writing. Hmmm. Ever since yesterday, Mal had been in a real stale mood. I would have to see what was wrong since that's what best friends do, but for now I had to meet Quint at Lincoln Center in fifteen minutes!

Quint and I had kept in touch with phone cards and letters. Lately though, we haven't kept in touch as often as I'd like to. When I wrote him and told him I was coming to the city for two weeks, he suggested we meet and see a production at Lincoln Center. After deciding on a performance (_Swan Lake_) and a date and time (today), we agreed to meet.

Since my parents didn't want me traveling all alone in Manhattan, I asked Mrs. Brewer if she would accompany on the taxi ride over to Lincoln Center. She told me to call her when I was ready to come back.

I saw Quint sitting on the steps in front of Lincoln Center and grinned as I ran to him.

He grinned back and stood up. "Hey, Jessi!"

"Quint!" I squealed as I threw my arms around him.

For some reason he seemed stiff when I hugged him, but it was probably just because he was so nervous to see me since it had been awhile and besides, I was looking very dibble today. He was probably a little embarrassed to be seen hugging a highly attractive girl. Quint is modest that way.

"I have the tickets for the show," Quint said taking out two tickets from his pocket.

"You look great by the way," I said as we started to head for the building.

Quint was wearing stone wash baggy jeans and a tight black tank top that showed off his nice, toned muscles. His cocoa brown skin glistened in the sun. In one ear was a gold stud. That must had been new, I hadn't noticed that before.

The theater was packed, but Quint and I managed to find decent seats towards the front of the stage. I have probably seen _Swan Lake _842105812351209 times, (I am not exaggerating), but I still fall in love with it every time I watch it. And it doesn't hurt that I've played the lead a couple of times, so I am very familiar with the dances. You could call me a _Swan Lake _expert.

At one point, a well-built male dancer came out and did a beautiful dance. I turned to Quint to see how he was enjoying the play. I always like looking at people when I'm watching a ballet with them to see their expression. Quint was intently watching the male dancer, slowly licking his lips. Wow, he was really getting into the ballet! How great!

After the show (which got a standing ovation), Quint and I each bought a lemonade and sat in front of the magnificent fountain in front of Lincoln Center.

"I never get sick of that ballet!" I said happily as I took a sip of my drink. "I could watch it over and over and over!"

"Me too," agreed Quint. He paused and said, "Jessi? There's something I need to tell you."

"Yes?" My heart began to beat fast. Was he going to purpose to me? I knew he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with (after all, he was black and a ballet dancer), but we were only eleven years old, I wasn't sure if I was ready for marriage yet-

"Jessi, are you listening to me?" Quint asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry." I gave my best smile to Quint.

"Jessi, this isn't the easiest thing to say to you, but you must know the truth-"

I braced myself as he got ready to state his true feelings for me.

"I'm gay."

I blinked at him. "Well, that's great, Quint. I'm gay too, especially now. I'm gay a lot of the times."

He looked confused, then said, "No. No, Jessi. That's not what I mean. I don't mean gay as in happy, I mean gay as in a homosexual?"

"A what a sexual?" I asked in a confused voice.

He sighed heavily. "I like other boys….in the romantic sense."

"You mean….you date other boys? You kiss other boys?" I asked slowly.

He nodded. "Exactly."

Suddenly my whole world came crashing down. How could Quint do this to me? We were suppose to be together forever! We were the eleven year old black ballet dancers who were supposed to get married and have three daughters (Halle, after Halle Berry, the first African-American woman to win an Oscar; Condoleeza, after Condoleeza Rice, one of the few African-American women to work for the President of the United States; and I hadn't yet come up with the third daughter's name, but now I was thinking of Addy, the only African-American American Girl Doll). Our daughters would become world famous ballerinas, taught by their world famous parents. That's how it was supposed to be!

"Ewwww!" I wrinkled my nose. "That's gross!"

He sighed. "I didn't think you would exactly understand, Jessi, coming from a small town. I'm sure there are no gay people in Stoneybrook."

"The only gay people in Stoneybrook are happy people," I replied.

"This is who I am, Jessi, and I hope you can accept it. You were so great to me when those kids made fun of me for being a ballet dancer. Well, now I have to deal with being a ballet dancer _and _gay."

"Who else knows that you're _gay_?" I said, whispering the word.

"You, my parents, and my close friends. Oh, and of course the people I dance with."

"So I guess this means you're not my sort of boyfriend anymore," I said unhappily.

He shook his head. "I hope we can still be friends though. I don't have many black friends who like ballet like I do."

I sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose we can still be friends. I don't know any black people who like ballet. Actually, you're one of the few black friend I have."

"Aren't there any black kids at your school?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope. We're the only black family in Stoneybrook."

"The only?"

I nodded. "Well, Stoneybrook is a small town. We're expected to set a high standard for any other black family that might ever decide to live there."

Quint looked at his watch. "Oh, I have to go now. I'm meeting Danillo in half an hour. We're getting our nails buffed." He kissed me on the cheek as he stood up. "Keep it real, Jessi."


	8. Dawn

BSC in NYC!

Dear Dad and Jeff,

How is Cali? SUNNY and WARM, I bet! New York is okay, but it sure isn't California! I really wish there was a beach here! Guess what? You might be seeing my picture in magazines soon! When you see them, you'll be so proud of me!

Love and Sunshine,

Dawn

I don't understand why New York is called the best city in the world when it's not. The city is full of foul-mouth carnivores, everything is over-priced, and there are no beaches. Seriously, what's so great about this place?

I was pretty disgusted with all the stores on Fifth Avenue that were selling leather products, so I decided to spend the afternoon protesting one of them. Luckily I had brought my poster board and small paints to make a sign. (A good activist is always prepared). After breakfast (Kristy had waffles smothered with whipped cream, it was disgusting), I headed back up to our room. Mallory was sitting on her bed writing furiously in her journal. Now that I thought about it, I didn't think she had been at breakfast. I don't think she even noticed me when I came in.

I sat on the floor and thought for a minute of what I wanted the poster to say. Then, in bright red paint, I wrote the words: **DON'T SUPPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY! BOYCOTT ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS! DON'T WEAR MURDERED ANIMALS!**

Under it, with black paint, I drew a picture of a cow with spots. I may not have Claudia's artistic ability, but I thought it looked decent. Instead of drawing the cow's head attached to the body, I drew it by the cow's feet and added light strokes of red paint by the neck to depict blood. Then I drew a circle around the decapitated cow with a big red slash through it. If this didn't get anybody's attention, I didn't know what would!

I grabbed my poster, being careful with it since it was still a little wet, and headed out. My friends call my style "California casual" and that's exactly how I was dressed today. I was wearing denim shorts with a yellow t-shirt that said "We got more bounce in California than all y'all combined" in wavy light blue letters. My long, gorgeous, silky, almost-white, wheat-colored, golden-blonde hair hung naturally.

I headed out on Fifth Avenue, trying to decide where to stage my protest. As I walked, I held my sign up proudly. I got a few strange looks, but mostly everyone just ignored me. Of course, they were all eating mangled pig carcasses jammed up a stick or carrying dead cow skins. Imbeciles.

I noticed the repulsive Louis Vuitton store had a crowd around its door. There were even TV cameras. Maybe there was already a protest going on! It was my lucky day! As I approached the crowd, I noticed nobody was carrying any signs and they all seemed to be excited about something. I pushed my way through the crowd.

"What's going on?" I asked when I managed to get towards the front where there were a few security guards. "Is this a protest?"

A girl, a few years older than me (and also black…hmm, maybe she and Jessi would get along?), turned to me and excitedly said, "Jennifer Lopez is shopping in there right now!"

I turned to the TV cameras and noticed they were for _Access Hollywood _and _Entertainment Tonight._

"We must boycott all her movies and albums at once!" I cried. "J-Lo is an animal killer!"

The girl looked at my funny. "I'm not boycotting anything! J-Lo is my idol."

"Your idol!" I exclaimed. "Your idol should be someone who actually cares about the living creatures on our earth, not someone who wears them for fashionable pleasure." I raised my sign high and started chanting, "J-LO IS AN ANIMAL KILLER! DON'T SUPPORT J-LO!"

"Hey, shut up, blondie!" I heard someone shout at me.

But that only made me chant louder. "SAVE THE ANIMALS! NO MORE KILLING! BOYCOTT LEATHER PRODUCTS…..AND FUR PRODUCTS TOO! AND DON'T EAT MEAT!"

My chanting was suddenly drowned out by screams. The glass doors had just opened and Jennifer Lopez came walking out accompanied by her bodyguard. In her hands was a new white leather tote. The security guards had to hold back screaming and waving fans. Jennifer smiled and waved at her fans as she walked towards the limo that was waiting for her. The paparazzi took photos of her as she signed autographs.

She was signing one for the black girl next to me (I hope Jessi would never become friends with her!) and I shouted at her, "How does it feel to be a murderer, J-Lo?"

She looked at me confused. "Excuse me?"

I pointed at her leather tote. "Did you know that was once a beautiful living creature and then it was savagely murdered and made into that bag just so you would have something to hold your precious make-up in!" I smacked my sign down hard on the tote. The paint was still wet and stuck to the bag.

"Oh my God! Look what you did! You bitch!" Jennifer screamed at me as I was shoved back by security guards.

The next thing I knew I was being put into a police car and driven to a police station. I sat in a small, stuffy room for nearly an hour before a police officer came out to talk to me. He was eating a jelly doughnut, unaware of the poison he was putting into his body.

"Dawn Schafer?" he said looking at a file and raising his eyebrow at me. I nodded.

"Well, consider yourself lucky, young lady. I spoke to Miss Lopez's attorney and he informed that she will not be pressing charges for destruction of property or assault."

"If anybody should be charged with anything," I said coolly, "it should be Jennifer Lopez for promoting the cruel murdering of innocent animals."

"Um, yeah." The police officer took another bite of his sugar-filled doughnut. Let him get cavities. He deserved it. "Miss Lopez is dropping the charges because she realizes you're just a young girl who was only passionate about, uh, animals and the folks at Louis Vuitton are giving her another tote." He took another bite. "You should also be prepared to see your picture in many tabloids and I'm sure you'll make all the entertainment shows." He chuckled. "I would also advise you to stay away from Miss Lopez if you ever happen to see her again. Oh, and the folks at Louis Vuitton don't want you within a hundred feet of their store."

I crossed my arms. "I wouldn't touch their revolting store with a ten foot pole."

He nodded. "Okay, I think we're done here. Try to stay out of trouble, Dawn."

Sure enough, the next day I passed by a newsstand and saw my picture plastered on the front of every entertainment magazine. **ANIMAL ACTAVIST ATTACTS J-LO! **they all read. This is great! I thought. Now people will see that Jennifer Lopez supports the murder of animals and soon everyone will boycott her movies and albums! I felt like I was taking a step in the right direction for a better world. I mentally patted myself on the back.

To all my awesome readers and reviewers, I did a little revision towards the end of Chapter 6 (Stacey), so take a looksie!


	9. Claudia

BSC in NYC!

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Daer Ashley,

Oh my Lurd! Yoo our nefer going too baliv wut I did! I haf a chilly noo look! Yoo well bee sow saprized wen yoo see me! I mett a guy frum Awstayleea. He wus relly meen too me. He thut I was dume! Who rood!

Yore freind,

Claudia

P.S. NYS is grate!

**Stacey and I were on the subway headed to Times Square. I wanted to get a piercing and she was going to look for a chilly new outfit to wear to a new club opening on Friday night.**

"I have to look at least twenty-one," she told me as she rummaged through her pink heart-printed Dooney and Bourke purse. "I won't think that will be a problem, though."

I was surprised when she pulled out a slim white cigarette and a small box of matches. "You smoke?"

"Just started, actually." Stacey put the tip in her mouth and struck a match. "Carrie smokes and she is so dibble. I want to be just like her."

"She gave you cigarettes?" I asked in disbelief.

"Not exactly. I stole some from her purse when she was using the bathroom at my dad's place." Stacey took a long drag and immediately began coughing. "Guess I'll have to get used to these," she said sheepishly once her coughing attack had stopped.

"You better not let Dawn see you with those," I warned.

"Tell me about it!" Stacey rolled her eyes. "First she would tell me how I was polluting the planet, then she'd go into a rant of how smoking is bad for you and yada, yada, yada."

"Well, it IS bad for you," I replied.

"So is eating junk food. "Stacey raised an eyebrow at me and I crossed my arms and slumped against the seat.

Once we were in Times Square, I started looking for a piercing place. I had noticed a few of them when we were here Monday night. Finally I saw one called Ink and Holes.

"I'm going to go there," I told Stacey pointing to the shop.

"Okay." Stacey took another drag. She didn't hack up a lung this time. "I'm going to look around some shops. I'll meet you in there later."

I walked across the street, getting long looks from passer-bys. I guess they were just admiring my outfit. I was looking very chilly dressed in day-glo orange parachute pants and an orange vest with black trim. I had my hair tied back with an orange scrunchie. On my feet were orange rubber boots. Get it? I was an orange traffic cone! I was inspired to create this outfit after having seen a few of them since I had been in the city. Pretty clever, huh?

I opened the door to the shop. A guy in his twenties was behind a counter, reading a comic book, his elbows propped up on the glass surface. He had a shaved head and on his left bicep was a tattoo of snakes entwining a gothic looking cross. I counted at least six piercings on his face. He looked super chilly.

He looked up at me when the bell rang as I opened the door. He seemed to do a double take. "Can I help you?"

He sounded just like the Hobarts, a foreign family we sit for.

"Are you from Austria?" I asked.

He gave me a funny look. "No….Australia."

Australia! And here I was thinking there was actually a country called Austria! How embarrassing!

"Do you know Ben Hobart?" (Ben is Mallory's "sort-of" boyfriend).

"Um…no. Should I?"

"He's my friend's boyfriend. He's from Australia too."

"Cool. Where from?"

"Um, I can't remember the town's name, but I know he lived near the beach."

The guy stared at me. Geeze, he was from Australia, not me! He should know what part of the country I was talking about!

"I don't think he lived by the border," I offered helpfully.

"Border?" he asked, thoroughly confused for some reason.

"Yeah, you know by the mountains…the Alps?"

"Alps?"

I looked at his nametag. "Wow, Brain, someone needs to take geography again."

"Did you just call me Brain?"

"That's what it says on your nametag."

"Uh, that would be Brian. Are you dyslexic or just plain dumb? I'm thinking the latter," he muttered.

"That's no way to treat a customer. I want to get a piercing," I announced.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," I lied.

"You need a parent's permission if you're under eighteen. Sorry."

I was already prepared though. Last night I had written a note and forged my parent's signature. "Not a problem," I said as I handed him the note. His eyes scanned over it:

__

Deer Peersing Purseon,

Pleeze let are dotter get a peercing neware she whants. We haf given purmishun.

Claudias' mom and dad.

"Are you kidding me?"

I heard the bell ring and Stacey entered. She was holding of couple of shopping bags. "Hey, Claud! Did you get a piercing yet?"

"No." I glared at Brian. "He won't let me because I need permission and I guess the note that I wrote - uh, I mean that my parents wrote isn't enough."

"Bummer." Stacey looked around at the photographs of pierced noses, lips, tongues, eyebrows, and other body parts I wasn't sure of. "I'd love to get a navel piercing. Wouldn't that be totally dibble, Claud?"

"Do you have a note too?" Brian asked.

"No, but I can call my dad right now." Stacey pulled her cell phone from her purse and speed-dialed her dad at his office. "Hi, Daddy!" she said sweetly. "I was wondering if I could get a piercing….on my navel…it will be really small, I promise, Daddy…..oh, thank you, Daddy!"

Well, this was just great. Stacey was getting a totally dibble piercing, but I was still the same. Needless to say I was disappointed when we left. "(Your people make great chocolate!" I had called to Brian as we left the shop). Stacey had tied her shirt up so her newly red navel was showing. She had chosen a heart shaped ornament.

"Hey! Maybe I can do something funky with my hair!" I exclaimed as we passed a salon with posters of models with colorful and crazy looking hair dos. "I don't need my parent's permission to cut my hair!"

"Let's go in," Stacey suggested.

We entered the shop. Green Day was playing in the background as I signed my name on the waiting list.

"It will be about a forty-five minute wait," a woman with a black and white striped mullet told me.

As we waited, I grabbed a magazine full of hairstyles and flipped through it. "Oh my Lord!" I exclaimed after a few minutes. "Stacey, this is it! This is how I want my hair styled!"

Stacey looked at the page. "Claud, I don't know. That's pretty extreme. Are you sure that's what you want?"

I nodded. "There's no doubt in my mind. This is exactly what I've been looking for to change my look."

"Well, you'll definitely get noticed with that hair style!" Stacey exclaimed.

"Claudia?" someone called my name.

I stood up. "That's me." I brought over the magazine to a woman with an aqua blue pixie cut. "I'd like my hair to be styled like this if it's possible."

"Well, you're certainly adventurous!" she said with a laugh. "But I can do that, it will be no problem."

"Great!"

An hour later I was looking into the mirror at the new Claudia Kishi. My long, black hair had been replaced by a three foot tall mohawk that was hot pink on the top and silver on the bottom. I grinned at my reflection. I looked totally dibble.


	10. Mary Anne

BSC in NYC!

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Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

Hello, I am in NYC (yes, again!) I met someone who is from Iowa, just like you! She had never heard of the small town you're from, though. I want you to promise me if that a movie called "Ghetto Knight" ever comes to your local theater to never see it. I'll tell you why later.

Love,

Mary Anne

I spent Wednesday afternoon with Jenna doing some research. We found out that Cam was making a movie called _Ghetto Knight _where he plays a knight who time-travels to present-day New York. We also learned that Cam often ate at a small deli in Greenwich Village. After tracking down the deli, we decided to wait there and see if he would come.

Jenna was super dibble. She was fifteen and from Des Moines, Iowa. (My grandparents are from Iowa!" I had exclaimed). This was her first time in New York, so she sure was lucky she met me. (Who knows New York better than me?)

So now it was Thursday afternoon and we were at the deli, sitting next to each other in a booth sharing a turkey and Swiss cheese on rye sandwich. We were facing the entrance so we could spot Cam if he came in.

Jenna was flipping through the latest _US Weekly _issue. She started laughing. "Can you believe that freak who went off on Jennifer Lopez in front of the Louis Vuitton store? Seriously, I can't stand people like that. They're so obnoxious and self-righteous."

"Oh, I know," I replied. I decided it would just be easier to agree with her rather than try to explain that Dawn was only passionate about a cause she cared about, but I didn't want Jenna to know that I knew Dawn, let alone that I was her step-sister. I love Dawn, I really do. I think she has a pure heart and I commend her for believing in strong causes, but even I had to admit she went a little far with the whole Jennifer Lopez fiasco.

We had finished our sandwich and there was still no sign of Cam. Jenna bought us each a chocolate chip cookie.

"Can you believe Cam is dating that hotel heiress?" she said as she slid back into the booth. "What does he see in her anyway?"

"Yeah, she's so ugly, he could do a lot better," I agreed. "She's all skin and bones."

"And she's such a famewhore," Jenna added. "She probably doesn't realize how lucky she is to be dating Cam Geary."

"My boyfriends looks like Cam Geary," I said in a smug tone I couldn't control.

"Really? You have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, his name is Logan. We've been going steady since the beginning of eight grade." I gave a little laugh. "It seems a lot longer than that, though."

"You're thirteen and you have a steady boyfriend?" Jenna gave me a funny look. "I'm not even allowed to date until I turn sixteen."

I shrugged nonchalantly. Usually I don't feel that sophisticated, but here I was, a thirteen year old with a (hot!) steady boyfriend having lunch with a fifteen year old girl who wasn't even allowed to date yet! I guess we're just more sophisticated on the East Coast.

"Want to see a photo?" I asked.

"Sure."

I took Logan's creased school photo that I keep in my purse. Despite the huge zit on his chin (covered in white zit cream), he looked downright handsome.

"So what do you think….looks exactly like Cam Geary, huh?"

"Yeah, he could pass for his younger brother."

We heard and the door opened and in walked….Cam Geary!

At first it would be hard to tell it was him because he was wearing dark glasses and a baseball hat that was hiding most of his face, but Jenna and I knew it was him! We looked at each other excitedly and watched as he ordered an egg salad sandwich to go. He was just about to exit and we still hadn't said anything.

"Say something!" I hissed to Jenna.

But she shook her head, suppressing a laugh. "I can't!" she whispered. "I don't know what I would say."

I panicked as I saw Cam get closer to the door. I couldn't let him leave yet. My dream had always been to meet my favorite movie star and now that could easily turn into a reality. I was going to have to set aside my shyness if I wanted results.

"Cam!" I blurted out just as he was about to push open the door.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around, a frown on his face. "Excuse me?"

"Um.." I turned to Jenna who was hiding her red face behind a menu. "I'm a huge fan…we're both fans."

"Oh….thanks," he said in a bored tone.

"My name is Mary Anne Spier. I've seen all of your movies. I love them so much that I wouldn't be able to pick a fav-"

"Huh. All my movies are shit," he interrupted me.

I gasped at the bad word he used.

"I just make them because my agent says I appeal to teeny bopper girls like you. Freddie Prinze Junior makes the same kind of movies, but at least they're better than mine and that's saying a lot because his movies are full of crap."

I stared at him, mouth agape. Cam Geary sure wasn't at all what I would have expected him to be.

"What?" he snapped at me. "Do you want my autograph now?"

My chin began to tremble and I could feel tears well in my eyes.

Cam grabbed a napkin from a dispenser and scribbled his name on it. "Here! Here you go!" He threw the napkin at me and it landed by my feet. He turned and angrily pushed open the door.

"Whoa," Jenna said in a low voice as I bent to pick up the napkin. "He has some serious issues."

I burst into tears. "Cam Geary is so stale! I hate him! I won't be watching _Ghetto Knight! _Ever!"

"Well, look at the bright side," said Jenna. "At least you can sell his autograph on E-Bay. I bet that will at least go for twenty bucks."

And with that I put the napkin into my purse and we left.


	11. Stacey2

_I'm in a relationship with a well-off divorced man who has a thirteen year old daughter, who spends most of her time in Connecticut with her mother. I met my current beau's daughter this past week and she was very mature for her age. And, for this article, we'll call her Casey. Now, I will admit it has been a while since I was thirteen years old and there are a lot of things I don't remember about it. (Which is a blessing, I think!) However, I'm pretty sure I was as never as, uh, worldly as Casey is at that age. When I first met Casey, she seemed to be a delightful young woman who had a loving relationship with her father. (He gave her this nickname "Bootsie"). I thought she was brave for having to deal with diabetes at such a young age. However, once her father had to leave our little lunch date, I began to see the real side of Casey: buying a pair of boots with the credit card her father gave her for "emergencies only," begging me to go to the opening of a new club. Well, of course I declined at first, after all, she is only 13 years old, but I decided if I watched her with a careful eye and told the bouncers she was with me, it wouldn't be so a big deal. I wouldn't let her stay too long anyway. Boy, that was a huge mistake…_

_Casey told me she could dress so she looked 21, but instead she ended up looking like a hooker, fifteen years old at the most. Her blonde hair was freshly crimped, she had on goops of make-up and was wearing a MINI mini-leather skirt, fishnet stockings, black stiletto boots, and my favorite: a red tank top with the word SLUT prominently displayed across it in large black letters. Please tell me that not all thirteen year olds dress like this! Because I will no longer have faith in humanity if they do! I almost thought of telling her to go back and change into something more decent, but she almost seemed to be proud of her new look, so who am I to take that away from someone? Once we got into the new club (yes, everyone was looking oddly at Casey, she seemed to think that they were all in awe of her, in fact she whispered to me, "Carrie, this is so dibble!" Apparently dibble means "cool." It's kind of slang word she and her friends came up with). _

_Once inside the club, Casey proceeded to take out a cigarette and smoke. Now, yes, I admit that I am a smoker, but I am a grown woman who knows the consequences. I certainly do not advocate children smoking, especially those who have diseases. And the way Casey was telling me about all the boyfriends she's had in her 13 years, I don't think diabetes will be the only disease she has to worry about in the near future…When I was 13, I didn't have a boyfriend, let alone a serious ones (and ex-es to boot!) I just had my crushes. I didn't start dating until a few years later. Here are the names I do remember from the list of her ex-boyfriends: Sam, Robert, Ethan, Wes, Toby, Scott, Pierre. I mean, am I prude to think a thirteen year old girl should NOT have this many boyfriends? If I am, times are really changing! _

_Of course, Casey wanted to have a drink, but the only drink I'd let her have was water or a diet soda. She still ended up making a fool of herself, dancing on the top of the bar and flashing everyone. I guess when she let your daughter get away with anything, she can literally get away with anything. _

_So to the parents out there raising teenagers or kids who are about to become teenagers, please promise me you'll never let them become like Casey! And if I have any young readers, please promise me you'll never become like Casey. The world has enough Paris Hiltons in-training, we don't need any more._

_Oh, and if you're wondering, my relationship with Casey's father is probably not going to last to much longer once he reads this._

I had finished reading Carrie's article as soon as I had polished off my bagel. Was Carrie writing about me? Was I Casey? I had to be, who else would have ex-boyfriends named Sam, Robert, Ethan, Wes, Toby, Scott, and Pierre? (And by the way, CARRIE, Wes, Toby, and Pierre were only crushes, they totally don't count as ex-es!) And she thought I looked like a hooker last night? Me? I looked fabulous and very sophisticated. If anything, she was looking totally stale in her boring black dress. At least I have imagination in the way I dress! Plus, everyone was looking at me! And she's a total hypocrite for saying I shouldn't smoke when she does! And what did she mean that diabetes wouldn't be the only disease I'd have in a few years with all my boyfriends? Doesn't she know that cooties isn't a real disease? Silly, stupid woman. I shook my head and laughed out loud.

Claudia, who was wolfing down her sugar pops across from me, looked up. It was still a bit weird to see her with a hot pink mohawk, but I was slowly starting to get used to it. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," I replied. "Carrie Bradshaw is totally stale, though. She totally wrote about me in her article in a not so flattering way."

"Huh." Claudia paused for a second. "You know, I bet she's just jealous. Think about it: she's pretty old and she's not getting any younger by the second. And you are young and have your whole life ahead of you and you can get any guy you want and we all know how much trouble she has hanging on to a man."

"You're right!" I exclaimed. "How could I not see that? Claudia, you are a genius!"

Claudia's eyes lit up. "I am? Wait until I tell Janine!"

"Carrie is so totally jealous of me," I said. "It makes perfect sense of why she would viciously attack me like that in her article. Plus, I have way more fashion sense than she does."

"Totally," agreed Claudia. "I thought you looked dibbly fresh last night and I would be honored to be in your company anytime, anywhere, whatever you're wearing."

"Thanks, Claud," I replied. "I knew there was a reason you're my BFF."

The only thing Carrie was right about in her article is that she and my dad broke up.


	12. Mallory2

_Dear Ben,_

_Greetings from New York. You'll never guess where I'm off to right now! NYU is letting aspiring authors read their works to a crowd this afternoon and I've been working on a story to read! I am so excited! I need to leave soon to ensure that I get to read my story, it's first come, first read, and they only allow twenty people to read their stories today. (I won't be here for the next date, so it has to be today!) Wish me luck! Maybe there will be a publisher in the crowd and I will get noticed!_

_Love your sort-of girlfriend,_

_Mallory_

Ever since the day I went to the American Girl Place and the woman had treated me like a little kid, I had been in a totally stale mood. But then I discovered a flier that NYU was hosting a reading for aspiring writers and for the past few days, I had been writing like mad to come up with the perfect story. Luckily, since I already had my characters and plot in mind, it didn't take me too long to write. I was inspired by the last time I was in New York and had drawn two mice named Ryan and Meaghan Mouse. I had a great idea for an adventure they could have! It was eight pages on notebook paper, front and back (with a few illustrations, of course). I had gone over it a million times to make sure it was perfect, and once I was satisfied with it, I wrote the title on top with "By Mallory Pike" in a sparkly gold pen. That case, if there was an important person in the audience who wanted to take a look at my story, there would be no way they could miss my name!

Now I had to pick out my outfit. I had to look super chilly, after all I would be reading my story in front of a bunch of New Yorkers, and everyone knows that New Yorkers are the most dibble people in the world. I finally decided on a denim skirt that went to my knees and my I Heart NY t-shirt. (Nobody can hate somebody who loves New York!) I tried to tame my fizzy hair by placing a denim headband over it and put on my horseshoe earrings. I knew I would never look as sophisticated as Stacey or Claudia, but at least I was looking pretty dibble!

I left an hour early. Mrs. Brewer was going to drive me there, then pick me up later. "Good luck with your story, sweetie," she said to me before I got out of the car. I thanked her and headed to the auditorium where the readings would be held.

Outside the large room, was a line of people signing up to read their stories. I was the youngest there, so far.

"How old are you, young girl?" asked a woman as I entered the line.

"Thirteen," I lied. Thirteen is just so much more sophisticated than eleven!

She chuckled. "Well, I think it's great you're here to read your story. It's always nice to have a diversity of ages. And what is your name?"

"Mallory Pike."

"And will you be reading fiction, non-fiction, or poetry?"

"Fiction," I replied. "And it has pictures…if that makes a difference."

"Well, I don't know if all the audience will be able to see the pictures," she said. "What's the title of your story?"

"Adventure in the Park," I answered proudly. I thought it had a certain ring to it and would make a great movie title. (Hey, maybe some film production company executive would be in the crowd and want to make my story into a movie!)

"Wonderful, you will be the third person to read today. They'll call your name when they're ready for you."

"Thank you," I said before taking a deep breath and heading into the auditorium.

I found a seat near the front on the aisle, so it would be easy for me to get up when my name was called. It didn't take long before all the seats were filled and there were even people standing in the back. It was definitely a full house!

A man in a suit gave a boring introduction, then the woman who talked to me outside the auditorium introduced the first reader. "Here to read her poem entitled, "Unbroken Spirit," is Tanzie McCall."

There was soft applause as a college girl dressed in all black with dark make-up and long black hair walked up the steps to the stage and stood in the center. There was silence for a few seconds except for a few people coughing and the rummaging of paper. Tanzie stared straight ahead.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" she screamed.

I cowered in my seat. I wasn't allowed to use the f-bomb and now this girl was using it in front of all these people. I hope her mother wasn't at the reading!

"YOU MAY HAVE RAPED MY BODY!" she kept on screaming. Why did she have to be so loud? Didn't she know she could have used a microphone? "YOU MAY HAVE RAPED MY MIND! BUT YOU WILL NEVER RAPE MY SPIRIT! BECAUSE I AM FREE FROM YOU! I HAVE AN UNBROKEN SPIRIT!"

Tanzie kept on screaming her poem (which, let me tell you, would result in a failing grade at SMS if anybody ever tried to turn that in!) and I kept on cowering in my seat.

When her outburst was over, there was massive applauding and whistling and a few people even stood up. Huh?

The next girl looked to be about eighteen. She was black with long legs and tiny braids in her hair. I bet Jessi will look like her when she's eighteen. (Eighteen seems so far away! When I'm eighteen, I'll get to rule the world!)

"My name is Kenya and I'll be reading an excerpt from my story which has yet to be title," she told the audience. Clearing her throat, she began to read: "His hands, smooth and brown, glide down my body, wet, and glistening with sweat."

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"My breasts are firm like peaches and his hands are like a farmer, trying to find the most ripe."

Oh, boy. This was getting slightly embarrassing. I was glad the room was fairly dark so nobody could see me blushing.

"Lustful. Sensual. Passionate. These are the words to describe how I feel when I feel his pulse, vibrating inside of me."

Suddenly I became very interested in my story in front of me and concentrated on that.

Finally, when Kenya was done with her (pornographic!) story, it was my turn next.

"We have a special young lady reading a story that she wrote and drew all by herself!" the woman said as she introduced me. "Please welcome thirteen-year-old Mallory Pike, who will be reading her story, 'Adventure in the Park'!"

There was a scattering of applause as I held my head up high and walked up the stairs and stood before the mike on the stage. I looked out into the audience and suddenly got very nervous. There was a lot of people there! But I thought of Jessi and how she was brave to dance in front of huge crowds and if Jessi could do it, then so could I! _You are a winner, Mal, _I reminded myself. _You can do this. Your story is totally dibble and everyone here will think so as well._

I cleared my throat and began to read:

"Once upon a time there was a mouse named Ryan Mouse. Ryan Mouse wore a cap and a baseball jacket. He did not have very good eyesight, so he had glasses. Ryan Mouse loved to play baseball. He often played with his other friends in the field. Ryan lived in the field. He had a girl friend named Meaghan Mouse who live in a town. Meaghan Mouse was a very fashionable mouse, like all mice from the town were. She wore a huge sweat shirt and high-tops. Meaghan liked to wear lots of jewelry: she had her ears pierced and wore lots of necklaces."

I looked up to see if the crowd was getting excited about my story, but all I saw were bored expressions. How could they not love this story? What's more loveable than a mouse that wears clothes? Hello, have these people never heard of Mickey?

I was done with the first page, so I lifted the notebook up so they could see my drawing of Ryan and Meaghan Mouse. Then I continued reading:

"One day Meghan Mouse came to visit Ryan and they had a picnic in in the park. They had a meal fit for a rat." (I paused, waiting for people to laugh, but there wasn't a peep). "There was cheese and bread and all sorts of yummy treats. Only their meal was ruined when an evil gnome with ugly warts and fangs and claws decided to show up! 'Rawr, I'm hungry! Give me your food!' the evil gnome shouted to Ryan and Meaghan. 'No!' squeaked Meaghan. 'You can not have our food, you big mean gnome!'"

"This story sucks!" somebody from the audience shouted and a bunch of giggling followed.

"Shhh," said the woman who was announcing the readers. "She's only thirteen now, let her finish."

I did finish my story, but I read with a lot more trepidation and doubt. There was only a handful of applaud and certainly no standing ovation. Well, if these people wanted foul language and erotic images in their stories, they certainly weren't going to get it from Mallory Pike. I'm a good girl and good girls write about cute little field mice!


	13. Karen

**BSC in NYC!**

Dear Hannie,

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for your text message! My last day in New York City was one of the best days of my life! Everybody at our school will be so jealous that I got to meet the one and only...HANNAH MONTANA! I will tell you all about it when I get back home to Stoneybrook.

Your best friend forever,

Karen

It was our last full day in New York and Daddy and Elizabeth told Andrew, David Michael, and me that we could do anything we wanted as long as we all agreed on it and it was in reason. Andrew and David Michael wanted to visit the zoo, and F.A.O. Schwarz, then have a treat at Rumpelmayer's, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. I was fine with this arrangement, but that was before I received this text from one of my best friends, Hannie Papadaski, on my pink cell phone:

OMG, K, ges wut???! MILEY CYRUS will b n NY 2morow filming a scene 4 HM n C. park! U shuld go and b a extra!!! BYE!!!

I was too busy being excited by the message that I did not even cringe over Hannie using text speak and spelling a few words wrong. I take pride in that I am the only student at Stoneybrook Day School who always spells out every word when typing a text. But, oh my goodness! Miley Cyrus would be in Central Park tomorrow? I love Miley Cyrus! She plays Hannah Montana, my most favorite show in the entire world! I found out more information by logging onto her fansite on Daddy's laptop. She and the other stars from Hannah Montana were filming a special episode in New York and they needed extras between the ages of seven and fourteen to be a part of the audience Hannah gives in Central Park! I had to meet her and be an extra on the show! Everybody at my school would be so jealous.

At dinner that night, I tried to persuade Andrew and David Michael to change their plans.

"You can always go to the zoo in Stoneybrook," I told them. "Wouldn't you rather have the chance to be on the most popular show in America?"

"I don't care about that dumb Hannah Montana," David Michael replied, flicking a pea at me with his fork. "Hannah Montana is for girls."

"Yeah," Andrew agreed, even though he watches the show with me (because I make him). "And we've already been to Central Park, Karen."

I continued to whine. I usually get what I want if I whine.

"Karen, what are you griping about?" Daddy asked me at the other end of the table.

"Daddy, can we please go to Central Park tomorrow so I can meet Miley Cyrus and be an extra in an episode of Hannah Montana?" I pleaded.

"Watson, no," Elizabeth said to Daddy firmly. "The kids have already decided what they want to do on their last day and Karen cannot always get what she wants." She glared at me.

Hmph. Elizabeth only said that because she loves that dummy, David Michael, more than me.

"Did somebody say Miley Cyrus?" asked Sam. "She's going to be at Central Park tomorrow?"

"She's pretty hot," Charlie added.

I nodded furiously. Sam and Charlie love Miley Cyrus because she is their age; though they would never admit that they watch her show.

Charlie grinned at Sam. "What do you say, Sam? Should we take Karen to meet her idol so we have an excuse to get close to Miley?"

"Oh, please, please, please, please with a cherry on top!" I begged clasping my hands together.

Sam laughed. "I don't know, Karen. I think you may need to get on your knees for us."

I was about to do just that when Elizabeth gave Sam a warning tone.

"Well, Karen, if Sam and Charlie want to take you to Central Park tomorrow to meet Hannah Montana, then that's fine with me," Daddy said.

"Oh, thank you, Daddy!" I got up and hugged him, then for good measure, I hugged Sam and Charlie too. They are the best step-brothers in the world!

It turned out that Mallory and Jessi were both Hannah Montana fans too and wanted to go with us. I was not so sure how Charlie and Sam thought of this idea because I have eavesdropped on them many times when they were talking about Kristy's friends from the Baby-Sitters Club.

They both thought Mallory tried too hard to be grown-up and it only made her look pathetic. They did not think Jessi was that bad, but maybe just a little conceited when she talked about her good a dancer she was. They also both felt a little bad for her because Kristy and her other friends always had to bring up the fact that Jessi is black when they are talking about their friends to somebody they have just met. And they both agreed that they would never let an eleven-year-old baby-sit their kids if they had any.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what they have said about Kristy's other friends, they think that Claudia is an idiot who dresses like she is blind; that Mary Anne is too young to have a steady boyfriend and that her boyfriend must be the most whipped teenaged boy in the world (whatever that means); that Dawn is going to end up joining a cult when she gets older; and while Sam likes Stacey, Charlie called her a ho. I did not know what that word meant, so I asked Daddy. He spanked me and I had my mouth washed out with soap. I still do not know what a ho is to this day.

Charlie, Sam, Mallory, Jessi, and I took the subway to Central Park the next day to see Miley Cyrus! I was so excited; I could not wait!

"I am surprised you like Hannah Montana," I said to Jessi who was sitting across from me and next to Mallory. Sam and Charlie were standing up, holding on to the railings.

"Why?" Jessi asked me.

I shrugged. "I just never met a black person who watched Hannah Montana."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Karen! Don't be rude."

"It's just an observation!" I replied truthfully.

"I really don't understand why people make such a big deal that I'm black," Jessi said. "I'm just like everybody else."

"I am sorry, I did not mean to hurt your feelings," I told her.

Jessi smiled at me. "No, it's okay, Karen."

Mallory just smiled tightly at us. She has been in a bad mood lately, but I do not know why. Hopefully meeting the one and only MILEY CYRUS will cheer her up!

We got to the park before Miley and her crew had arrived, but there was already a huge group of young girls gathering around. The casting agent was going around, selecting the ones he liked.

We stood in line and had to wait FOREVER until he finally reached us.

"Hmm," he said looking us over. "Yes, I like your look, very pretty face you have, you're in." He nodded at Jessi.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed.

Mallory and I looked at each other. We know she only got in because she is black.

He next looked at Mallory and slightly shook his head. "You just don't look like someone who would be at a Hannah Montana concert, sorry."

I had to agree with the guy. Mallory was wearing this weird outfit that looked like a tuxedo.

"What are you talking about?" exclaimed Mallory. "This is my most chilly outfit! My friend Stacey wore an outfit like this once and she's from New York!"

"Sorry," the guy told her. He had already moved on to me.

"Oh, please, mister, please let me be an extra!" I cried. "I love Hannah Montana more than anything in the world! More than I love chocolate ice cream, more than I love my pets, more than I love my mommy and daddy!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" He held up his hands. "You're in!"

The man let Charlie go with Jessi and me so he could keep an eye on us, while Sam and a very glum Mallory watched from the sidelines.

More time went by and as we waited for Miley and the rest of the crew to show up, the guy explained to us what he wanted us to do.

"Just act like you're at the best concert of your life," he explained simply.

That was going to be easy to do!

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, MILEY CYRUS arrived! Jessi and I started screaming and we were joined in by the rest of the extras.

The camera started rolling and the director motioned to us to cheer. I screamed with all my might. I wanted to be sure that everybody at my school would know that was Karen Brewer's scream! They would be so jealous!

Once the director was happy with the shots they got of us, they shot a few scenes of Miley waving to the audience.

"Okay, that' a wrap, thanks for your time, everybody!" the director said to us.

Wait? What about the concert? I voiced my concerns to Charlie.

"Karen, there's not going to be a concert," he explained patiently to me. "They'll probably film that later on. They were just getting the shots of the audience reactions."

I bursted into tears. I could not help it. Here I thought I was going to tell everybody that I was at a Hannah Montana concert when it was all a LIE!

Charlie sighed. "Why are you crying, Karen? You're going to be on an episode of that dumb show. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but I wanted to see Miley sing!" I cried, stamping my foot.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Why don't you ask your Dad to take you to her concert the next time she tours Stamford or New York? I'm sure he would."

Yes, what a wonderful idea! Daddy always lets me have whatever I want! Already, my mood had started to brighten.


	14. Finale

BSC in NYC

_Author's note: Kristy's little song there at the end is the BSC theme song from the videos that came out in the '90s, so if you recognize it, that's why._

My friends and I were on the train headed back to Stoneybrook. Nobody was talking and everybody looked sullen. I didn't know why this was because we had just spent some time in New York City, the most exciting city in the world! Even Stacey, our city girl, had her arms crossed and was glaring out the window.

I was the first one to speak up. "Didn't anybody have a good time in New York?"

Claudia, who no longer had her hot pink and silver mohawk, and was back to her regular long, glossy, black hair, replied, "Everybody was staring at me like I was some kind of freak when I had my new hair style."

"Well, Claud, it was a little crazy," Dawn pointed out.

Claudia glared at her. "At least I didn't end up in the pages of _US Weekly_ attacking J-Lo!"

Dawn crossed her arms. "That no talent hack got what she deserved! I just hope the many readers of _US Weekly_ see what a cruel and heartless woman she is and boycott all her movies, music, and merchandise."

"I'll tell you who I'd like to see people boycott," Mary Anne huffed. "Cam Geary, that's who. He is a grade-A, class-A son of a you-know-what. I hope when _Ghetto Knight _comes out, it's panned across the board by critics."

"With a title like _Ghetto Knight_, I'm sure it will," Jessi said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I don't know why you're so surprised to find out that Cam Geary was a jerk. I always sensed he was from watching his interviews on_ Entertainment Tonight_ and _Access Hollywood."_

"Yeah, he always acted like he was hot stuff," I agreed.

"Besides," Jessi continued, "You were never going to marry Cam, so what does it matter? I, on the other hand, suffered a deafening blow when I found out Quint - my Quint, the one I was going to marry - told me he was gay." She lowered her voice. "That means he likes other boys!"

Stacey snorted. "Jessi, I could have told you that when I first met him! The fact that he's a ballet dancer was a huge tip off on my gaydar to me."

"Well, excuse me," Jessi replied, "but I live in Stoneybrook where there's less gay people than there are black people, so how was I supposed to know he was gay?"

"You're eleven, you'll get over it," Stacey snapped. "And at least your dad's girlfriend didn't embarrass you by writing an article about you which isn't even true for the whole city to read!"

We were all quiet for awhile, looking at each other uncomfortably. We had all read Carrie Bradshaw's article and every word she had written, while unkind, was true about Stacey.

Claudia patted her best friend's should reassuringly. "Carrie Bradshaw has no idea what she's talking about and it's no wonder she can't get a man! Your dad was too good for her. And she only wrote those means things about you because she's jealous."

"Thank God my dad dumped her," Stacey said. "He was furious when he read the article! He knows his baby girl would never do those things!"

"Well, I bet nobody had a worse time than me," Mallory said, finally speaking up. "I was treated like a baby at the American Girl Place, nobody liked my story about Meaghan and Ryan Mouse I read at NYU, and I wasn't picked to be an extra on _Hannah Montana_, but Karen and Jessi were." She slumped in her seat and pouted.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we all had a sucky time in New York," said Dawn. "Maybe some worse than others." She narrowed her eyes at me. "But what about you, Kristy? Did anything bad happen to you?"

I shook my head. "No, actually, I had a great time."

"Well, I'm glad somebody was able to," Stacey muttered.

"We should have gone to California," Dawn said. "Then everybody would have had a great time."

"Oh, you mean like the last time when we all went when Stacey nearly died in that car accident, Kristy got into a fight with Sunny, Mallory made herself look like an idiot with her dyed blonde hair-"

"Hey!" exclaimed Mallory.

"-and I had to baby-sit for an asthmatic girl who nearly died?" finished Mary Anne.

"Well, at least none of our problems were published for the whole country to read about!" Dawn snapped back.

"You guys, let's not fight!" I pleaded. "We're the Baby-SItters Club! Say hello to your friends! Because you know that your friends are always there."

"Oh, Kristy, must you always sing that stupid song?" groaned Stacey.

"You can always count on me, and I can count on you," Mallory and Jessi chimed in with the theme song I had made up for our club.

The others joined in reluctantly. "Good times, bad times, inbetwen my friends will see me through."

"We'll be sharing wonderful times everyday," I croon. "All together, singing a song, growing in every way!"

"Say hello to your friends! Baby-SItters Club! Say hello to the people who care! Nothing's better than friends! Baby-Sitters Club! Cuz you know that your friends are always there!" we all sing together. "If I'm feeling down and out, if I'm feeling blue, I know I can lean on you, my friends will see me through. We're growing up together, never to part!"

We were soon all singing, my friends forgetting about the crappy time they had in New York. After all, we are the BSC and we can get through anything!


End file.
